Conquering Jude (9 page)

* * * *

Squinting against the smoke drifting through the air, Jude leaned against the bar. Next to him, Micah was ordering them two bottles of water. Even as his mouth watered at the thought of ice-cold water, he longed for something stronger but knew from experience that he wasn’t going to get it. He shifted a bit closer to Micah to be heard over the deafening sound of the band.

“Why the hell are we here, Micah?” He was tired of being hauled all over god’s creation. All he wanted was eight hours of solid sleep.

Micah’s dark face brightened with anticipation. “You’ll see. I talked to a few friends and have a test for you.”

“Another?” His stomach clenched with a mixture of dread and anticipation. Micah had been deadly serious about helping Jude explore his latent need to submit and had sprung several ‘tests’ on him the past few days.
Fuck, when will he get it? It’s not submitting which gets me all hot and bothered. It’s having a woman order me to do nasty things that primes my pump. I’m not submitting. There had to be more to it. It just can’t be that.

“Yes. We have little time left, Jude.” The man slapped him on the back. “Mistress can be impatient at times. We need you ready.”

Jude grunted. Over the past two weeks, Micah had dragged him from club to club, party to party, in search of something. Evidently having Jude wait on demanding women, give them foot rubs, back rubs, or whatever else they wanted, up to but not including sex, had been tests of sorts. What he’d hoped to prove, Jude wasn’t sure. Yeah, if Jude were honest with himself, he hadn’t minded taking care of the women. But the intense arousal he’d experienced in Olivia’s presence was missing. The women ordering him to do things had aroused him but at the same time had left him feeling cold. His body was engaged in their play but his emotions hadn’t been.

His wishing Micah would figure out what the hell Jude needed to do was proving to be a pipe dream. Something had to give. He was tired of spending his days at work just going through the motions. And despite his nights being full of new scenes and pushing his boundaries, nothing was working. What little sleep he was getting wasn’t a restful one. Erotic dreams of his Mistress still plagued him. His forehead broke out in sweat as thoughts of his most recent one swirled through his brain.

Olivia digging her nails into my shoulders, demanding I go faster, ordering me to give her the harder strokes she craves until I’m so close and ready to empty my nuts deep inside of her that I’m begging her to let me come. Then she’ll say ‘yes’ and I’ll come so hard she’ll demand I clean up the mess I made on her thighs with my tongue.

Even now it made his mouth water to think of how delicious she’d taste. He imagined the combined flavors of himself and the salty tang of her pleasure washing over his taste buds. It made him so hard until he thought he’d go crazy.

“Here, Jude.” The press of a cold bottle against his palm had his eyes opening, eyes he hadn’t even realized he’d shut.
Some fucking security expert I am. Here I am, in a strange bar, not paying attention to my surroundings and getting lost in my own private fantasies.

Twisting the bottle open, Jude drained half of it in one guzzle hoping it would put out the fire burning in his gut.
No such luck,
he thought sourly.
The burning need for Mistress is still there.
To distract himself, he turned towards the crowded dance floor. At first glance the club looked like any other if you discounted the women wearing collars around their necks and the men on leashes following around their Masters and Mistresses. He did notice that the number of Dommes in comparison to Doms were small. Evidently dominant women weren’t as plentiful as men.
Just my rotten luck! Even if I wanted another woman to substitute for Olivia, I’d be hard pressed to find her. How about a break here, Big Guy?
Even as he sent the prayer heavenward, he knew that it was pointless.

In all the previous clubs he’d visited with Micah, everything had been the same. There were more men than women, while those Dommes who were present already had a stable full of slaves. Call him contrary, but Jude found himself wanting to be, if not the only one in his Mistress’s stable, one of the few to serve her. The idea of sharing Olivia with anyone other than Micah purely pissed him off. For whatever reason, he found the idea of Micah helping him pleasure Olivia erotic as all hell. So unless he came to terms with his needs and wheedled his way back into Olivia’s, he was either going to have to find another woman or go without.

And right now it looks as if it’s going to be the latter.

Micah’s hand on his shoulder had him turning. “Look. There she is.”

At first glance, Jude’s heart sped up. He stepped away from the bar. The willowy woman heading towards him could’ve been Olivia’s sister. It was in the way she carried herself, the long dark braid hanging over one shoulder and slender crop swinging from her hip. The dark clothing she wore was similar to his Mistress but the tattoo gracing one slender shoulder was definitely not Olivia. If it hadn’t been for the tattoo and the fact the woman was easily three to four inches taller than Olivia, he’d have sworn it was her.

She stopped in front of him. In his pants, his cock gave a weak throb in welcome, responding to her dominating presence.
Just as the randy bastard had done every other time Micah dragged my ass to the club.

“Hello,
mal-chick.”
Her voice was thickly accented but not quite the same as Olivia’s. As if she hadn’t been stateside as long as Olivia.

Beside him Micah bristled. The woman laughed. “Ah, yes, I know, only my dear…cousin is allowed to call you that. Forgive me, Micah.” She trailed a finger up the dark skin of Micah’s chest. Like Jude, Micah was wearing little more than a pair of leather shorts. The brief attire was not uncommon amongst the other male submissives. There were several who were wearing even less than he and Micah.

Her attention turned to Jude. “This is he?” Her eyes roved over his body as if taking a mental inventory.

“Yes. This is Jude. He’s
exploring
to see if he has what it takes to be a submissive.”

Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “You mean to see if he has what it takes to please Ms. High and Mighty?” She circled Jude carefully. “Well, we shall see. While I will admit he
is
pleasing to the eyes, my cousin’s standards are quite high. There’s yet to be a man to tempt her into permanency since her husband.” She came to a stop in front of him once more. “Do you think you’re the submissive who could change her mind?”

Jude gritted his teeth. “I’m not submissive. I enjoy kinky sex but I’m no one’s doormat – especially a woman’s.”

She arched a dark brow at him. “You’re not?” Her attention turned back to Micah. “Have you wasted my time, Micah? You told me you thought you finally found the man who will soften my cousin.”

“He’s in denial, Mistress Svetlana.” Micah’s words were barely audible over the pounding music.

She nodded. “So shall we see if you have the capabilities to please a Domme, Mr.
I’m-not-a-submissive
.”

His back stiffened. “Excuse me?”

She stepped into his personal space, bringing with her a light floral scent. He immediately compared it to her cousin’s darker, more sensual scent. He found himself missing the scent of persimmon and honeysuckle. The exotic combination always reminded him of his roots in the South, along with the exotic scents he’d smelled in Asia. It was perfect. His nose wrinkled and he spoke before he thought. “You don’t smell like her.”

A chuckle escaped Svetlana. “Of course not! I may look like her and may also be a Domme, but that’s where the similarity ends, slave. If you want a chance with her, you’re going to have to prove you can handle a real Domme, not these…” she paused as if looking for a word, “…ah how you say…wannabe’s Micah has been taking you to see.” Her hand landed on the butt of her crop. “Because my cousin will accept nothing less than total submission from her slave. The only question is: can you give her what she needs? Tonight we’ll find out if you’re serious about pleasing her.”

He barely noticed her words. His eyes were focused on the spot her slender hand was caressing. His breath caught in his throat before his tongue lashed out to wet the suddenly dry surface of his lips.
Did she actually use that on slaves? Would she touch my cock the same way?
Somehow he knew if she were related to Olivia, it was not simply for show. The flesh of his back tightened before gooseflesh covered it. He’d gotten a taste of a flogger during his last test. The dull burn of it against his flesh had been more pleasant than he’d thought, considering he’d been rubbing the Domme’s slender feet and arches at the time. It had him wondering what it’d feel like if he’d been buried inside the woman at the same time. The idea had kept his cock in a state of semi-arousal for the rest of the evening.

He stepped closer to Jude so only Jude would be able to hear him. “If you want this to happen you have to take this step by yourself, Jude.” Micah took the water bottle from Jude. “Yes or no, it’s your choice, but understand: this woman does not play at being a Domme. While she’s not Olivia, what she’ll expect out of you will be similar. This is your final test.”

Jude scowled at him. “Another test?”

Micah clapped his hand over his naked shoulder. “Yes. See if you can give up your precious control to her. I’m betting you’ll like the feeling of being at the mercy of a woman, of having her control you and everything else.”

Jude’s self-control wavered.
Can I honestly give up control to her?
It had been drilled into him since the day he’d grown bigger than his mother.
Boy, you better learn how to control that temper and that body of yours or you’ll end up killing someone.
The memory of his father’s words after Jude had put the neighborhood bully in the hospital for picking on little Sally Rae filled his head.

“…Because I can guarantee Mistress won’t let you hold onto your control. She’s going to demand you surrender everything and won’t settle for less.” Micah’s words pushed past his last bit of reluctance.

If I want a chance to be Olivia’s, I have to do this. I have to see if I can let go.
Mentally straightening his shoulders, Jude took a step towards Svetlana, even though it felt as if he were cheating on his Mistress.
Get over it, you stupid ass, she hasn’t claimed you. You’re not cheating.

“Knees, slave.” Her harsh bark had him stopping. He stared at her for a moment, before slowly lowering to his knees. He could smell the light floral scent as she came closer.

“Are you agreeing to be submissive to me, Jude, for this evening and in this place?” The firm but soft tone of her voice surprised him.

He slowly lifted his head. “Yes, Mistress.”

Her eyes hardened. “Then pick a safe word.”

He swallowed, his unease increasing. It just didn’t feel right but he hardened his resolve. Then he blurted out the first word that came to mind. “Euphoria.”

Chapter Six

Standing behind the one-way mirror, Micah watched the scene unfolding in front of him. While he’d told Jude he had to do this by himself, Micah couldn’t, in good conscience, leave the other man defenseless.

In the other room, Jude knelt at Svetlana’s feet. In her hand, she held the crop which had been resting on her hip. She was running it over his shoulders, occasionally tapping here and there. Even from his position behind the glass, he could see the tremors shaking Jude’s kneeling form.
Is he trembling from fear, relief or passion?
While Micah was certain down to the marrow of his bones Jude was a submissive and would be the perfect slave for Olivia, getting past the other man’s walls was proving to be very difficult.
If he continues to fight his natural inclinations, he’s going to do more damage than good by being in there.

“So, how’s he doing?” Micah turned at Jackson’s voice. He wasn’t surprised to see the other man. After all it had been partly his idea to have Micah guide Jude.

“He’s trying...” Micah winced as Jude reached for Svetlana. She smacked his hand. “…perhaps too hard.”

Jackson grunted. “Shit.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “How did the other tests you put him through go?”

“He’s definitely submissive when it comes to pleasing his partner. He’ll do anything they ask physically. He’ll rub their feet until they groan, eat them until they’re limp noodles from the continuous orgasms, jack off for them, hell he even jacked me off because Mistress Janice wanted to see it, but he won’t give up his control over his own body. He just won’t let go.”

“Dammit.” Jackson paused before his eyes widened. “He actually jacked you off? He hasn’t ever said anything about being interested in guys.” Jackson’s reaction wasn’t a shock to Micah.

“Yeah, I know. He was sure to tell me that up front. It shocked the hell out of me when he did it. But it proves Jude will do anything his Mistress asks of him sexually.”

“So he’s a sexual submissive?” Jackson shook his head. “Fuck, I was almost certain he was more than that. Shit, Olivia’s going to be so pissed I talked her into this. She needs more than a sexual submissive.”

Micah nodded before giving a jerk of his head. “Don’t count him out yet.” He reached over and clicked on the audio. Immediately the clipped sounds of Svetlana’s accented voice filtered through the speaker.

“Very good, slave. It’s good you admit you want to lick my pussy.”

* * * *

Jude shivered with awareness. Standing with his back pressed against the wall and his hands wrapped around the manacles, his body was wide open to her touch. Each muscle was trembling with need.
Fuck, please let her give that order. All she has to do is order me to go down on her, and I’ll be on my knees so fast her head will spin. Hell, if she’d even touch me, I’d come like a bastard.